Freddie Eugene Owens was executed by the State of South Carolina on September 20, despite lingering doubts about his guilt and a confession from co-defendant Steven Golden, who stated that Owens was not present at the crime scene, contradicting a decades-old narrative.
According to USA Today, Owens was found guilty by a jury of the murder of Irene Grainger Graves, a 41-year-old single mother of three, at a convenience store in 1997. Graves’ son, Arte Graves, told the outlet that if Golden’s sworn statement is true, that it came too late to save Owens.
“If it was true, I feel he should’ve said something earlier, that’s something that person will have to deal with their conscience,” Graves said.
Owens’ attorney, Gerald “Bo” King said in a statement that Owens’ death is a tragedy.
“Freddie Owens did not kill Ms. Graves. His death tonight is a tragedy,” King told USA Today . “Mr. Owens’s childhood was marked by suffering on a scale that is hard to comprehend. He spent his adulthood in prison for a crime that he did not commit. The legal errors, hidden deals, and false evidence that made tonight possible should shame us all.”